More protests against La Liga's American plans
There have been protests against the decision to have La Liga matches outside the country
Players in La Liga stood still for the opening 15 seconds of matches on Saturday in protest against the league’s decision to stage a fixture in Miami.
Author | Jack L
The demonstrations came during high-profile games involving Barcelona and AtlĂ©tico Madrid, who hosted Girona and Osasuna respectively, and followed the example set by Oviedo and Espanyol on Friday evening. Identical protests took place in Sevilla’s meeting with Mallorca and Villarreal’s clash with Real Betis.
As during the Oviedo v Espanyol game, television coverage of Barcelona’s fixture avoided showing the action on the pitch during the protest, instead cutting to shots of the stadium exterior. In other matches, cameras focused tightly on the centre circle rather than offering a wide view of the players standing motionless.
The protests stem from the Spanish football federation’s decision in August to approve Villarreal’s fixture against Barcelona being played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on 20 December, a move that has angered many within Spanish football.
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The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) said in a statement that it had worked with club captains to “protest symbolically” against what it described as La Liga’s “lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence”.
Although the AFE did not explicitly request that Barcelona and Villarreal players join the demonstrations, it said it wanted to avoid the gesture being “interpreted as a possible measure against any club”. Both sets of players, however, chose to participate.
📸 - BARCELONA AND GIRONA DIDN’T PLAY FOR THE FIRST 15 SECONDS OF THE MATCH IN PROTEST AGAINST BARCELONA’S GAME IN MIAMI. LA LIGA DIDN’T BROADCAST THAT PART. pic.twitter.com/TrkPImFP8O
— Meet Nnanna Ali (@Meet_Nnanna_Ali) October 18, 2025
“We were not part of the [protest] but we felt that we needed to follow along out of respect for our fellow professionals,” said Barcelona midfielder Pedri.
La Liga denied the accusations made by the AFE earlier in the week, stating its “willingness to meet” with the players’ union to “foster useful dialogue that allows explaining the project”.
The AFE said further protests would continue across the weekend’s remaining fixtures.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, whose team play at Getafe on Sunday, backed the demonstrations. “We are against the [Miami] match. We believe it distorts the competition,” he said. “There hasn't been unanimity or consultation for it to be played on neutral ground. The protests are positive and that sentiment is positive. We believe it could happen if there were unanimity, but that’s not the case.”
In its statement, the AFE reiterated that it was opposing “a project that does not have the approval of the main players in our sport” and criticised “La Liga’s constant refusals and unrealistic proposals”. The organisation called for the creation of a “negotiating table in which all information is shared and the exceptional characteristics of the project are analysed”, ensuring that “the concerns of the footballers are addressed, and the protection of their labour rights and compliance with current regulations are guaranteed”.
